1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for emulating and testing a ubiquitous service or a device used in a ubiquitous service using a uniform object model. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for a virtual test of ubiquitous service or a ubiquitous device, which uses a uniform object model of a device, service, user, layout and the like, and accordingly, which does not require actual construction of a physical ubiquitous environment.
2. Description of the Related Art
Ubiquitous networks currently available have computers acting as respective objects of everyday life to enable communications among the objects. This is usually called ‘ubiquitous computing’ and it means that users can log on to the network freely, that is, without having to know the location of the computers or the networks. Also, users can log on to the network without being limited by their location.
A home network will be explained below as an example of ubiquitous service. A home network service connects electronic home appliances such as a refrigerator, a washing machine, or the like to a network, and controls the on and off switching of the connected devices via the Internet or a wireless communication network using a mobile phone.
A home server, which controls the home network service, is connected with the home appliances such as a lighting device, a gas valve, a PDP television, a washing machine, an air conditioner, and a microwave oven, via networks such as an Ethernet, a wireless LAN, or a power line installed at home.
Accordingly, the home server controls the network and devices such that the home appliances operate according to the user's control commands transmitted from outside the house via the Internet, or transmitted from a mobile terminal via a wireless communication network. Additionally, the home server may control the operation of home appliances according to a remote control signal wirelessly output from a home network remote controller placed somewhere in the house.
In order to ensure that the home network service is provided efficiently, it is important to test and confirm that the home network and the status recognition service operate normally, once the home network is constructed by connecting digital electronic appliances with respect to the home server. The status recognition service may include any necessary or available service in the current state, based on the status information estimated from the information received from the digital electronic appliances or the sensor at home.
However, the above system has a drawback in that it takes a long time and requires great expense to implement the physical home network environment due to the extensive construction. Even after the physical home network has been constructed, it takes additional time to perform tests on the respective devices or services.
An additional drawback is that the currently available information about home network service such as research, standards, or patents, focuses on the structure and development of the service or a device, and it is difficult to find proposals regarding testing a ubiquitous environment-oriented device or service.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved apparatus and method for emulating and testing ubiquitous service or a ubiquitous device using a uniform object model.